A little Nightmusic with Mozart!

Magical Mozart by Candle light

Theatre Severn

22/February/2015

I have to tell you whilst waiting in my seat for the show to begin, I heard the funniest thing. As I watched and counted heads, the stalls filled up with anticipatory theatre-goers. “You just breathed on my arm,” I heard a disgruntled woman declare to who I imagined was her husband. ” I didn’t look but I listened and the retort came back, “I assure you I did not breathe on your arm!” It amused me immensely and I hoped that hostilities might cease as the show began; they did.

No wonder, what unfolded was the beauty of the magic that is Mozart. As one lapped up the delicately placed notes and the wonderful arias one couldn’t help but let any other thoughts wash away with the ephemeral sounds that hung just where they were supposed to and vanished into the swirling music of the Maestro, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The European Orchestral Baroque ensemble, “Spirit,” complete in 18th century garb including powdered wigs, wielded their instruments so intricately that they brought Mozart back to life.

The Octet proved to be an incredibly safe set of accomplished hands and not a note was dropped as this Mozart Roadshow works its way through classic tastes of his best work such as The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and many others.

The Orchestra were incredibly well rehearsed and equally disciplined. One was able to just lap up the balance of music and song.

The vocalists comprised two Sopranos and a Baritone.

Baritone David Milner Pearce was sensational as he brought not only the song but the wit out of the pieces he performed. The two sopranos were Bulgarian born Diana Evgenieva Vasileva and Chinese born Li Li.Both stole many many hearts, I shouldn't wonder. In fact I imagine they were freely given and theft was uneccassary.

With a huge array of vocal acrobatics the trio sang, laughed and wept their way through so many different Mozart pieces. Such delicious arias and magnificent swirling music, there was a feel of Vienna in its hay dayas a cultural hub for all of Europe, and one could imagine the faces of the very first recipients of this, what was then, new music.

Opera isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, maybe not even mine but this was a show that I would strongly recommend anyone to see who wants an easy way in to hearing and understanding classical music.

It became easy to interpret the beauty and the strength of the spirit and soul that Mozart had poured into his work. This was how it should be played and how it should be heard.

Today, so many false and plastic musicians have appeared cleaning up in award shows and making millions. It is either a sad indictment or a happy indication of where we are at with commercial music. It’s worth bearing mind that this musical genius that gave us so much culture, died penniless.

Well thanks to shows of tonight’s standard and calibre, Mozart is earning something far greater than millions and that is immortality of his work. I wonder if I was able to travel through time to 2315, would the theatre be full of One Direction fans. Don’t think so somehow!

This is a four star review.

Owen Lewis

Sun, 22/02/2015 - 22:40

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Owen Lewis was born fifty something years ago in the land of the black puddings. For the geographically challenged that is in Lancashire. Moving to Shropshire From 1970 Owen was brought up in Church Stretton. His first real job was in radio. After starting on BBC Radio Shropshire he became known on Marcher Sound, broadcasting throughout the North West for several years. After a university degree course in Theatre, Owen became an actor and went on to play "Pirate Bill" in The Alton Towers Hotel. He also made several television appearances. Returning to university he took his PGCE enabling him to teach. That saw him on the Essex coast as a drama teacher and latterly as a Creative Educational Liaison Officer making films and creating new teaching methods to employ on children in need of more help in their fundamental learning skills. Published playwright Owen ultimately wants a house boat in Amsterdam to focus on his work as Playwright and Poet.